Lotusland is a garden that I have long wanted to visit; a botanical fantasy created by a wealthy failed opera singer with the added allure of very restricted opening times. Set high in the hills above Santa Barbara it is … Continue reading
If you put a fine, thorough-bred Arab stallion and a cutesy, shaggy donkey together in the same pasture you can appreciate their respective characters and charms, but they are bound to be compared to the detriment of one or the … Continue reading
‘Not since Central Park opened in 1857 has a park reshaped New Yorkers’ thinking about public space and the city more profoundly.’ New York Times 20 September 2014 … Continue reading
I stumbled across Mendocino by accident. We had arrived in San Francisco the weekend of Gay Pride where we were confronted with a difficult decision. Were we going to party with about half of the city or do what we … Continue reading
It may seem strange that a middle-sized American city has what is widely acclaimed to be the finest Japanese garden in the United States but also considered to be the most beautiful and authentic in the world outside of Japan. … Continue reading
So-called as the reflection of the moon appears to be trapped in the pavilion’s shadow on the pond. It has always struck me as strange that Chinese gardens in the West are rare, but Japanese gardens are comparatively common. … Continue reading